


It All Started With Sectumsempra

by mizarandalcor



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bottom Draco Malfoy, Flashbacks, Implied Mpreg, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Mpreg, Post Mpreg, Post-Hogwarts, Romance, Top Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-05-06 06:40:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14636175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizarandalcor/pseuds/mizarandalcor
Summary: Harry and Draco had a child but they don't remember her.





	1. Prologue:Saying Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> All rights of the Canon characters belong to J.K Rowling.

"Do you have everything on you?" asked the man to his daughter. There was no need to ask as he had already checked several times if she had everything that she needed. But there was a sense of reassurance to hear it from her. It showed to him that she was prepared to depart from them for the first time in eleven years. It lifted some weight off his heart.

"Hush you! You know very well that she has everything! Now, little lamb, remember to write as often as you can and don't forget to feed Tails. It's a boarding school, so we won't see you till Christmas. Hang in there, sweetheart! _Oh, come here!_ " she said, brushing down her daughter's clothes, before pulling her into a teary hug. The father embraced the two of them and they stood that way until the whistle of the train resounded throughout platform 9 3/4.

The little girl said goodbye to her parents for the first time as she headed towards the train. She had never lived away from her parents. They restricted her from going even to her best friend's birthday party as her parents claimed that they could trust no one and that it was to protect her. To keep her safe. From what though, she didn't know. So, she was beyond excited when she received her Hogwarts letter. Her parents had, at first, said no - and it was a firm no. They were scared and she had never seen them so scared before. They were powerful Wizards and in their humble little Muggle town, they were not afraid of **anyone** , so to see them that scared, it unnerved her. It was a couple of weeks later that they came into her room to tell her that they would accept her wish to study at Hogwarts. Although, this had occurred after much begging, whining and crying on her part.

She was unsure about whether she would like the school but she knew that she had loved Diagon Alley. Her first ever experience with shopping in the Wizarding World - even if it was for school stationary (and all the other necessary items that was listed with her letter) - was the best birthday present her parents could give her, albeit it was a very belated gift. Diagon Alley was where she got Tails - her Turkish Angora cat - who wasn't a practical option for sending mails but she really wanted him. Above all else though, she wanted him because they looked quite similar. The cunning look in their green eyes and the same platinum blonde - almost white - hair.

She climbed aboard the train and quickly found herself a compartment to sit in just as the train set off. She turned to face the window just in time to wave her parents goodbye - for now at least.

Not too long ago and not too far away, another family was saying goodbyes to their little boy. The family of three were gathered in a small huddle, so one would think that they would be hidden, especially with the added thick smoke from the train. However, they were far from hidden. They were so well dressed that they stood out like a sore thumb. Although the mother acted sophisticated, she fussed over the boy with minute gestures while reminding him of the proper behaviour required of a schoolboy as well as that of a person of his status, especially since their reputation was at stake. It was a fragile thing that had been broken and was just slowly being pieced together once more. The father stood by the boy, making no intimate gestures like the mother was but it did not mean that he did not love the boy. He just didn't know how to express his affection as he did not have a great example himself but he liked to think he was better than his own Father had ever been to him.

As they were about to send the boy onto the train, they noticed two families - infamous families - gathered together also saying goodbyes to their own children. Catching their attention, the dark haired man in one of the two families, nodded curtly in their direction. They had once been enemies as children but now they were more civil towards one another, although the mutual dislike was still ever present. It had been nineteen years since their last fight and that was not a time that neither men wanted to remember. It brought back many disturbing memories, ones they would rather forget. The pale-haired man deemed it to be rather unwise to remember the times of his foolish mistakes and heinous crimes. And they were numerous. Added to that was also his father's crimes, which made his sleep a point of abject horror for him. Yet, he was too cowardly to Obliviate those memories. It was almost an unconscious act, scratching his left arm which bore nothing but a faded scar now - yet another reminder he wanted to remove but once again, he was too cowardly to cut off his own arm, although the thought never failed to pass through his mind at moments like these, only to be pushed to the furthest and darkest corners of his mind once more.

The boy noticed his Father's discomfort all of a sudden but no sooner had it come, it was gone. He cared for his Father but he was a difficult man to understand. He was going to miss his family, as dysfunctional as it was. Saying his last goodbyes, he hurried onto the train. He stood by the entrance as it started to move away from the platform, giving him a brief moment to wave goodbye.

The infamous families were no different. As most of their children boarded the train, they wept in joy and pride for them, but the tears also showed how much they would their little bundles of joy as they headed off on the same journey that they once had. One of the children was not all that sure about his venture to Hogwarts. He had heard many tales about the place, especially from his brother and uncle, which made him all the more worried about the house he wanted to be in. His father had assured him that Slytherin was not a bad option but it terrified him no less as the house had a reputation and it was not a good one.

His father had a good name among the Wizarding community and he didn't want to be the one that would ruin that. Even here at the train station, many of the young children were staring at his father - an idol in their eyes. He was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. He knew it since he was a child. He knew how famous his father was and why. It was always expected of him and his brother to be just like him. Role models. Role models for the future generations, showing them what it meant to be a good wizard. His brother had a carefree personality and did not care all that much about how the society viewed him and yet his personality was perfect. He was seen as the Golden Child. The people loved him. But the boy wasn't like his brother; he was different. He did care and that frightened him. It frightened him that the Wizarding World would deem him unworthy of his family's name. It frightened him that he wouldn't be able to uphold his Father's legacy. It made him feel light headed with fear.

His Father had noticed his son's worries. As the boy turned around to face his family from the door to the carriage, his father gave him a reassuring smile. He didn't know how else to cheer his son up. He had tried his best at advising him but it didn't seem to be working. Although he was glad that when his wife had hugged the boy, he seemed to calm down a little. But the worry was back on the young child's face as soon as he boarded the train. Soon the boy joined his cousins and brother on the train and it almost seemed like a relief knowing he would be in safe hands as many of his family would be there to look out for him.

As the train disappeared from view, the boy's hoped that both his and his friend's children would have adventures of their own, just like he and his friends had when they had joined Hogwarts, minus, of course, all the deaths and horrors.


	2. Chapter 1: A Fateful Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All rights of the Canon characters belong to J.K Rowling.

The girl sat staring out of the window of her compartment of the Hogwarts Express, enjoying every moment of it, even if it had only been a few minutes since it departed. This was a journey, no, an experience that wasn't to be missed, but of course, the hours that she had spent packing, and just generally being excited and restless, caught up with her all too soon. As she was about to doze off, the doors to the compartment opened, pulling her out of the soft lull of sleep. She turned to face the little boy standing at the door. He had a rather surprised look on his face as if he wasn't expecting anyone in here. He looked at her awkwardly and asked, "Is it okay if I sit here?"

"Sure!" she answered, smiling brightly. That was all she said before she turned to peer out of the window once more. Hopefully this time Hypnos wouldn't try to work his magic. No sooner had the boy settled down opposite her, the compartment burst open once more, bringing in a bundle of children - well, three to be specific. One of them - a boy - seemed to be a year or two older than the other boy and girl who accompanied him.

"Why are there so many of us? You'd think that family gatherings were bad, but we could barely fit all of us in that compartment!" the older boy with jet black hair complained, completely ignoring the presence of the two children already occupying the compartment. Not that they took up much space but the girl thought it would have been polite for them to ask for permission, like the boy in front of her had.

It was the curly haired girl who noticed first. She looked at them embarrassed and said, "I apologise for barging in like this. Is it okay if we sit here?"

Before the girl could answer, the older boy from before spoke up and said, "I'm sure it'll will be fine for us to sit here. What I don't understand however, is why I have to sit with you children, instead of with Fred, Victoire, and the rest of them!"

"You're only two years older than us, James. You're just as much a child as we are," said the other smaller boy with the same jet black hair as the older boy, although his was an unruly mess on his head. "Just like me," thought the pale-haired girl with a fond smile. The boy's smirk was a signature sign that he felt like he had one over his brother.

Scowling at his younger brother, the boy named James turned to the pre-occupants of the compartment to introduce himself by proudly exclaiming, "Hi! The name's James Sirius _Potter_ , _Gryffindor_." The emphasis, of course, on both Potter and Gryffindor was uttered as if the words themselves were made of gold.

Then pointing to his younger brother, he said with a smirk, "The future Slytherin here - "

"I'm not going to be in Slytherin!" interrupted the younger boy.

" - is my younger brother, Albus Severus Potter and the bush-head is my cousin Rose Granger-Weasley. She's super brainy. These two are the same age. First years like you guys, I'm assuming since you're not wearing your house robes. There's more of us in the next compartment over but there's too many us for you to remember all our names," James continued over his brother's argument, "So...are you guys, like twins or something?"

"No, we just met," said the pale haired boy.

"Really? Could've sworn you were twins, you have the same hair and everything!" James asked genuinely surprised.

"I'm sorry! He's an idiot so please ignore him," said the girl glaring at the elder boy for his obvious mistake, although the anger was mostly for her horrible nickname amongst the Weasley cousins being revealed to the outside world. It was given to her by a young Victoire after seeing her for the first time and it had just stuck with her cousins. She hated that nickname. Her mother hated it too but after realising that she - nor anyone, in fact - could change the habit of all the young Weasley children, decided to give it up. It was an endearing term amongst them now, except to Rose. She had wanted to make excellent first impressions but it seemed that as long as James was related to her, she would be followed around by that awful name.

"It's okay. Even I was a little surprised when he walked in. My dad and I are the only ones in our town with such pale hair so it's nice for me to see someone else with it as well," the girl said smiling at them.

"We forgot to ask but what's your name?" asked Rose directing the question towards the girl.

"Phoenix Aquila Mordant," she said, shaking her hands with everyone.

"Well if you're not twins, then there's no need to introduce yourself. Pale hair, pointy face - you must be a Malfoy: Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, if I recall correctly. Your father was my father's old nemesis. I heard he was a right git, who didn't deserve to survive the war" James said smirking. He had heard of the stories of their fights from his Uncle Ron, although the 'didn't deserve to survive the war' phrase, surprisingly didn't come from his uncle or even anyone in his family. That was something he'd seen on a very old article of The Daily Prophet, which had been kept in the attic of his house, with all the rest of his parents' belongings from Hogwarts. His father never really talked about his time at the school so his only source of information had been his uncles and the bits and bobs he found around his and the Weasley homes. He liked the fact that Scorpius scowled, fist clenching tightly, lips pursed before he said hello with almost the same sharpness in his tone as Rose sometimes did when she was annoyed before turning to look out of the window once again.

The other pale haired girl, Phoenix, looked between them quizzically but before she could ask further, a knock on the door broke the awkward silence as the Trolley Lady came around. The children devoured the large variety of sweets that were bought, especially Phoenix since it had been the first time she was tasting Wizarding sweets and it was fair to say she had a weak stomach as she nearly threw up after picking the rotten egg, ear wax and vomit flavours consecutively from Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean packet.

The awkwardness was soon forgotten as the rest compartment filled with laughter which didn't end as the rest of the Weasley family was introduced to Phoenix and Scorpius, the latter of whom received much friendlier welcomes than he had done with James, when the elder Weasley children had come in to check on their younger cousins as instructed by their parents. This only brought on more questions of whether the two blondes were in fact twins or not, which Scorpius found was rather stupid of them as other than their hair colour, nothing about them was either the same or even remotely similar, especially their eyes. He'd never seen such startling green on anyone other than on Albus Severus Potter and Harry James Potter, while his was a deep metallic grey - "Like silver," his mother had often said.

Time passed quickly before they realised that Hogwarts had neared and they hurried to get everything ready. Once they had arrived, all of the students were herded out of the train and separated into their year groups. The first years were then herded down a steep and narrow path surrounded by thick trees, preventing any light from coming through. Turning a bend, the place opened up to a big lake. Small boats were parked ready to depart with its passengers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" said a big hairy man. He was so big that Phoenix fell over trying to look up at him. His hand was so big that it covered half her arm as he pulled her up gently.

"Hello Hagrid!" said Albus as he hugged the man...well more like pasted himself on the man's legs.

"Ah! Albus! Don't forget about the tea invitation next Friday!" he said chuckling as he pushed the boy into the boat with Phoenix, Scorpius and Rose. Hagrid eyed Scorpius warily. He sincerely hoped the boy was different from his father.

He turned away and scanned all the boats before climbing into one himself and shouting, "Everyone in? Right then - FORWARD!"

After a short while of gliding across the lake, with the view of the castle towering over the young children, he shouted once more as the first boats headed towards the cliff, "Heads down!"

Following his order the children ducked, snapped out of their fascinated stares at the magnificent monument that stood in front of them. Truly, no words could describe it as much as seeing it in all its full glory first hand. Soon, they entered a tunnel which brought them to an underground harbour. Once all the children had climbed out, Hagrid led them up a flight of stone stairs, up to the huge oak front door. Raising his hands he knocked three times on the door, turning around to see the children huddled around him, eyes wide in anticipation as they were about to enter the legendary school for witches and wizards.


	3. Chapter 2: The Sorting Ceremony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All rights of the Canon characters belong to J.K Rowling.

The doors to the castle swung open and they were greeted by a man in grey robes. His face was a little scruffy and he looked rather timid. "Thank you for bringing them Hagrid," the man said nodding in Hagrid's direction.

"No problem, Professor Longbottom," and with that Hagrid squeezed past the Professor and headed inside the castle.

Turning towards the students, Professor Longbottom said, "First years, follow me please."

He turned around once again and led the students into the large entry hall. From there, they were led across from the door, from which loud chattering could be heard, to another which opened to a small chamber. As the last of the students gathered into the room, the Professor opened up a piece of paper, his hands trembling nervously as it was his first time doing this.

He cleared his throat and began to read, "Welcome to Hogwarts. You will be going to the Great Hall shortly to be sorted into your houses, with whom you will then be eating the start of term banquet. The Sorting Ceremony is very important as it will determine who you will be having lessons with, where you will be staying in terms of dormitory, where you'll spend free time, so on and so forth. These people will also be like a family to you for the duration of your time here at Hogwarts."

He took a short break to look up from his paper and look at the students to see if they were following, before going back to reading the speech once more. "There are four houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each have their own history and have produced many great witches and wizards over the years. You can earn points to assist your house to gain victory by doing well in either academics, sports or any act of good nature. However if you break the rules, points will be deducted and the house with the most points will be awarded the house cups for the year. The Sorting Ceremony will begin soon so look your best and good luck," concluding his speech, he put the paper back into his pocket.

"I will go and check if everything is ready so please wait here a while," he said walking out of the door they came in through.

"I've never seen Neville so nervous before," Rose whispered to no one in particular.

"Do you know him?" asked Phoenix.

"Yeah, he's really good friends with our parents," answered Albus, "I don't even think he noticed us here because of how nervous he was!"

Just then several ghosts glided past them, waving their hellos and goodbyes before passing through the wall into - the children assumed - the Great Hall. Everyone began to talk amongst themselves as they waited for the Professor to turn up, and it took him a while too! Once he was back, he told the children to form a line as he led them to the Great Hall.

The children walked carefully behind Professor Longbottom, entering from the side and coming to a halt in front of the teachers, at the table at the head of the hall, with older students seated behind them. The children were told to stand across the width of the Great Hall as a wooden stool was pulled out and an old, withered hat was placed on it. After a few seconds of deafening silence, the presumably inanimate hat burst into life and began to sing about the heroic tales behind the four founders of the Houses. Once the song was finished, a tremendous thunder of claps began to resound throughout the Great Hall.

Professor Longbottom then called for silence. He hadn't shouted but no sooner had he finished speaking, the students carried out his request. It was clear that the student body seemed to have a lot of respect for the man, despite his obviously shy nature. Once quiet returned to the Great Hall, he began to read out the names of the students, one by one. He would then place the Sorting Hat on the students' head. After varying amounts of time for each student, the hat called out their house. The student was then directed towards their house: the table filled with students that was cheering for them.

Not long after was Rose's turn, who unsurprisingly, was sorted into Gryffindor and according to some whispers, it had been no surprise that Scorpius had been sorted into Slytherin a few minutes earlier either. Then came Phoenix' turn.

"Ah! Interesting! The magic in you is very strong and wild yet delicate and soft at the same time. I haven't seen such powerful magic in...well in enough time that I can't seem to recall when it was. I would tell you who it was if I could remember but it evades me. Come back when I remember and I will tell you who it was, ey? Anyway, back to the sorting. Let's see here then, good-natured and kind you are, Hufflepuff perhaps? But alas, it may not be the one for you for they are too grounded for your liking. Hmm, what else? ...Smart, observant, competitive, perhaps Ravenclaw? No...that's not it either...Hufflepuff? No! No! Gryffindor will do you well. Yes! They can let your daring and headstrong nature flourish but something is missing though! What could it be?... Yes...There it is...so small yet so strong. The ambition to succeed and prove yourself. I know just the house for you! SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted after much debate.

Quickly standing up, Phoenix headed towards the Slytherin table where she sat down next to Scorpius. She was happy that she was sorted into a house that contained an acquaintance. The thought of having to interact with more new people all over again seemed like a daunting idea, although she wouldn't have minded being in Gryffindor either since Rose was there. She seemed nice and Phoenix wanted to get to know her better. James seemed okay but she wasn't sure how much she would get along with him. And she would have to get along with him well if she wanted to be close to Rose, since Rose seemed to be quite fond of him.

Many of the students in the Hall began to whisper as they pointed at her. An older student turned to her and said with a look of pride and wonder, while his fingers pointed to the table filled with teachers, especially at the Headteacher: a tall old woman with a stern-looking face and wearing emerald green robes, "That's the longest hat-stall since Professor McGonagall but it's good that the Hat put you here since this is the best house in all of Hogwarts! Just you wait and see, you'll do good here."

Soon it was Albus' turn. The whole place stayed in utter silence as they waited to hear the verdict of the hat on the next son of the Golden Boy. "Hmm...you seem to be desperately wanting to be put into Gryffindor. You are very much like your Father: brave, chivalrous and there definitely seems to be some penchant for seeking out trouble. However, it is also very obvious that you're not quite like him. You are shrewd, cunning and have a strong desire to be different from the rest of your family. Better be...SLYTHERIN!" said the hat.

Albus scrambled off the stool and headed hesitantly towards the Slytherin table with a look of abject horror on his face. He felt betrayed by his father. He had said that the hat would listen to him but it hadn't. He couldn't stand the silence in the Hall as he sat down but that soon burst into a flurry of loud whispers as the students discussed the scandal that had just occurred. A Potter in Slytherin. It was unthinkable.

He sat at the edge of the table and frowned. The welcome from his house was lukewarm, at best. He couldn't blame them, after all, his family was responsible for - in their eyes - killing or imprisoning at least one of their family members. Not that this was the case for every Slytherin but still...he had thought that they would be a little bit more excited to have a Potter in their house. The only ones who seemed to be genuinely happy that he was sorted into Slytherin was Phoenix - which wasn't a surprise - and Scorpius - which had been a surprise, considering what had happened on the train. So when Scorpius offered him the chocolate frog - his favourite - as a sign of peace between them, he gratefully accepted it.

Once the last few students had been sorted, Professor Longbottom sat down and Professor McGonagall stood up and said, "Let the banquet...begin."

No sooner had she spoken the words, the plates began to fill with food and soon everyone was tucking into their food. Looking around the Great Hall, Phoenix realised one thing, her parents were wrong. She **DID** belong in the Wizarding World, not the Muggle World and she was going to prove it to them.


	4. Chapter 3: A Fragile Truce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All rights of the Canon characters belong to J.K Rowling.

It had been a week since the school term had started. All the students were settling down into their dorms and into the comfort of their common rooms. They were also being slowly eased into their lessons. Phoenix wished they would go a bit slower on the theory as she was struggling to keep up with it. She had no trouble picking up on the practical parts but theory...well she was no Rose (if the rumours were to be believed).

Speaking of Rose, it seemed as though the girl was avoiding the newly sorted Slytherin trio, even Albus. At first Phoenix thought that it was because they hadn't had a lesson together yet but even when she waved at the other girl or tried to speak to her during meal times, Rose would disappear or make up an excuse to leave. She wished she knew what brought about this sudden change in Rose but she couldn't think of a reason at all. Phoenix was surprisingly rather hurt by her behaviour, even though she only knew the other girl for a few hours. It even made her, for a slight moment, wish she had been sorted into Gryffindor - only a little bit though. It's not that she hated being in Slytherin, it was just that...it seemed like she had become quite fond of Rose on their ride to Hogwarts.

She had however quickly made friends with the people in her dorm and quite the bond they formed too but she couldn't help but think it would have been nice to have Rose Granger-Weasley added to her list of growing friends, especially since she was one of the first people she met.

Her new friends in Slytherin came in the unlikely form of Hazel Parkinson and Julia Nott. According to whispers around Hogwarts, both families were knees deep in Voldemort's side of the war, and although neither of the current heads of their family were convicted and bore no mark, they're still considered to be an unsavoury bunch. Phoenix however, couldn't pick up any maliciousness from the girls...so far at least. If anything, they were both caring. They took an immediate liking to her and pretty much took her under their wing. The three of them hung out together for much of the time and even sat together during lessons.

When she was not with them, she was in the common room, learning to play Wizards Chess from Scorpius. Pretty much during this one week, Phoenix got close to Scorpius, who after his initial (controlled) temper loss on the train, had been as calm as the Great Lake on a windless day. She doesn't think she's ever encountered someone that was that polite or sweet. It made her wonder how he'd even ended up in Slytherin; the boy behaved as though he belonged in Hufflepuff - not that there's anything wrong with Hufflepuff, quite the opposite infact. She accidentally even called him a 'sweet little baby', which had earned a great amount of laughter from those present in the common room as well as a very red-faced Scorpius - which, if anyone asked her, she would say, made him look even more like one. She didn’t even understand how anyone could possibly think that he was the son of Voldemort.

She was also getting close Albus who had been quite stiff at the start but was certainly opening up to her more now. He seemed to be more comfortable around Scorpius though, which surprised Phoenix but it was a welcome surprise. She was happy that he had at least a few people that he was opening up to. He had seemed quite lonely at first being the only Potter in Slytherin. It also certainly didn't help that he seemed to be struggling to cast even the basic of spells, earning him the cruel nickname of the 'Slytherin Squib'. She didn't have enough fingers to count the number of Trip Jinx' she cast at those who called him that (and at those who called Scorpius ‘the Son of Voldemort’) but it seemed as though that Scorpius was what Albus needed when he was feeling down and vice versa. However, he did come to her for help with studies though, which was better than what was going on with Rose. It seems as though one can't have everything.

Their first Herbology lesson with Professor Longbottom was their first joint lesson with the Gryffindors. The Slytherins made their way across the fields to the rows of greenhouses situated beneath the two main Bell Towers of the castle. Phoenix was in deep conversation with Hazel and Julia while Scorpius and Albus walked shortly behind them with their new friend Jeffrey Finnigan. He was a trouble-maker that could rival the likes of the Weasley twins. Not even into the first week and he had already gained two detentions for being caught out of bed past curfew and for being spotted for trying to enter the Forbidden Forest. How he had managed to befriend Albus and Scorpius remained a mystery to her but he wasn’t all bad.

Once they reached the greenhouse, they were greeted by Professor Longbottom. The Gryffindors were already gathered inside which was a rare event for the house as they were renowned to have late arrivals to almost every lesson. The Professor began his lesson as the last of the Slytherins had gathered inside the cramped space stuffed with plants of varying species.

She had been one of the few who was paying any attention to the class, while Scorpius and Jeffrey seemed to be trying to figure out a plan for a prank on James to which Albus was listening intently but made no comment as it concerned his sibling - annoying or not. After the comment on the train about his Father, Scorpius had taken a particular disliking to James. Yes, he was generally a sweet angel but clearly not when it concerned James. He wanted to get back at him somehow but didn't exactly know how to go about doing that.

His first plan of action was to challenge James to a Wizards’ duel but it seemed unwise since James was older and a more experienced wizard than he was. He instead asked for assistance from Jeffrey to pull a rather harmless prank on James; a good choice since that boy was up for anything. Scorpius then asked Albus, who was quite reserved about the whole thing. He didn’t mind a prank, especially on his brother (I mean, who would miss an opportunity like that?) but he was going to have to be the voice of caution, especially since he knew how much Scorpius disliked James and he wasn’t sure where it would go after that.

Scorpius had told Phoenix about what had happened between their families when she pestered him to tell her after she had forgotten to ask James on the train. In her opinion it had all been in the past and something that they should forgive and forget. After all, it was just childish teasing that had escalated because of the high tensions of the time. She had told him exactly that as well but all he had said in return was, "What would you know?" After that she didn't question it further, after all it wasn’t like he was wrong. What would she know? She was just an outsider in all this, but she was determined for them to get along.

Once the lesson ended, she told Hazel and Julia to go ahead without her and "borrowed" Scorpius and Albus from Jeffrey's side before running after Rose, who, instead of turning towards the Great Hall for lunch, was turning towards the lake where there seemed to be a lone figure sitting by the edge of the water. They followed behind her for some time with Phoenix calling out to the girl every now and again. Her calls were unanswered and both of the boys agreed that it was futile to try and speak with someone who didn’t want to speak to you. Albus even commented that she was embarrassing herself and that they should turn back but neither he nor Scorpius turned back or stopped her physically as she ignored their advice and kept up her, now slow walk behind Rose.

As they came closer to the figure sitting by the lake, Phoenix could almost guess who it was and their doubts were confirmed when they heard Rose say, “Hi, James!” Scorpius turned to walk away as soon as he heard this. Phoenix quickly cast the Leg-Locking Curse, when she heard him retreat. She had read it in the Curses and Counter Curses book as she was trying to find new spells that could fend off the bullies from Scorpius and Albus but she had no idea it would work so well on her first try. Effective immediately, Scorpius fell flat on his face. James, who had turned around at the sound, erupted into laughter only stopping when Rose, surprisingly, slapped him across the back of his head. Together with the help of Albus, Phoenix managed to drag Scorpius - while the boy resisted - to where the duo sat.

"So, what do you want with us?" asked James.

"Well, Scorpius is being childish and wants to prank you for insulting his father. I was hoping you'd get along. I want us to be friends. Like, really good friends. Besides, I think you're super clever Rose and although I’m not sure I liked your behaviour on the train, I think you’re quite alright, James. I don’t understand why you’re ignoring me either Rose. Please, tell me if I did something wrong. Okay forget me, why are you also ignoring Albus too. He’s family, right? I know I have no right to interfere since I’m an outsider in this matter but I really want us to be friends, Rose but you’re ignoring me along with these guys, even though I don’t think we’ve done anything wrong to hurt you in any way," Phoenix said. She knew she was ranting but if there was one thing she believed in, it was to talk out feelings and problems as soon at it started because the longer you leave it, the worse it would get.

Rose looked at James, who just looked surprised and then at Albus, who remained impassive and at Scorpius, who was scowling behind Phoenix before replying, "I didn’t mean to ignore you Phoenix. You seem nice, it’s just that…well, you’re friends with Scorpius and…I don’t really trust you Scorpius. I mean your father was Death Eater and he was in Slytherin and although you don’t seem like a bad guy, you’re sorted into Slytherin. And it doesn’t even end there. There’re even rumours that you’re the son of Voldemort! Albus seems to prefer you over me, even though he’s only just met you. I mean, I’m his cousin! You’re…you’re just a stranger! You haven’t even tried to speak to me once since we got here Albus and now you’re in Slytherin?! You’re a POTTER! Potter’s don’t belong in Slytherin! On top of that you’re not even able to do magic. I tried requesting to Professor McGonagall to try to re-sort you but she said that it’s impossible. I thought I could forget it and get along with you all but I don’t want to be an outcast within my own house for hanging out with you.”

Phoenix just sat there, stunned. If it had been anyone else, she would have cast a few jinx’ before they could even finish speaking but this was Rose. She didn’t seem like this at all at the start. Her complete turn-around made it almost as though she was hit by some kind of curse but the more she stared at the girl in front of her, she realised that this was not a curse but the real person. Phoenix felt disgusted but she still didn’t want to do anything even though her hands were trembling to do something in retaliation. Instead she just said, trying to control the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, “I... I understand now. Thank you for explaining to us. We’ll…we’ll leave now.”

She stood up with the help of Albus, who seemed to understand her distress. His face was one of pure fury but he couldn’t do anything about it. It was moments like these that made him wish that his magic was more cooperative with him. Phoenix and Scorpius had helped him so much but he could do nothing to support his friends. He could take the insults thrown at him but what was said Scorpius was unforgivable in his eyes, especially from Rose. He didn’t expect this from her. As for Phoenix, he knew how much she wanted to be friends with Rose but now he knew that she would never befriend someone who insulted them that way, no matter how much she wanted it to work out. And in his personal opinion, it was better that way too.

Scorpius had been silent but he too was angrier than he was at the start and unlike Albus, Scorpius was more proficient in his magic and he was going to stick up for his friends. He was disgusted that family would turn against each other just because you didn’t want to be an outcast. He said, timidly at first but with more gusto as he went on, “Duel me and if I win, you take back what you said! If I lose," he paused and turned to James, who sat there smirking, before continuing, "we’ll never cross paths with you again.”


End file.
